Before the Fall
by Le Rouge du Sang
Summary: For some reason Dumbledore always seemed to doubt his normality, but Tom wasn't one of those to sit idly. He was going to take matters into his own hands, he'd show everyone how normal he was. Tom Riddle/OC.
1. Planning

Title: Before the Fall

Author: Le Rouge du Sang

Characters: Tom Riddle/OC

Rating: T, for reasons yet to be decided

Disclaimer: I'm just a broken hearted fan trying to add to the legacy of Harry Potter, everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: So this is a collab between Atomic Bomb and myself. The idea of Tom having a girlfriend was first her brainchild. From there, I decided to write it, and we both worked on this together, running ideas past each other. Victoria Gamp was born from both of our minds. Gamp happens to be mentioned as a pureblood family, and according to Harry Potter wiki, there's not much known of the family, and it may have gone extinct. And I apologize to Atomic Bomb if my writing doesn't entirely fit your idea. I just suck at writing. So I hope you all enjoy this, I had a lot of fun writing this and working with my friend.

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><p>Tom Riddle. He never had any true friends. Followers, yes. Friends, no. From the beginning he had this aura about him, which would strike fear in some or cause others to be wary of him.<p>

Dumbledore was one of those people. Always calculating; always wondering, thinking about Tom.

Obviously he wasn't convincing enough.

So, Tom did what he was best at: planning.

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><p>Her name was Victoria Gamp. She came from a pureblood family, was a Slytherin, and best of all, fit into his plan.<p>

She liked to spend most of her time in the library or in the common room, reading. He didn't really know her, but that didn't matter. He could still use her and get away from the looks of others. He just needed to appear normal, nothing special.

It wasn't as though he wasn't good looking, far from it. He could have any girl he wished, many female classmates would fawn over him, sending him gifts, the occasional love potion, but he didn't want or need any of them.

They would just be annoying anyway.

Victoria, on the other hand, never paid him any attention. Unless necessary, that is.

And he would make sure that from now on, she noticed him.

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><p>"Hello." Tom leaned over the table Victoria was working at, a small smile on his face. Usually his smile would cause girls to start giggling and blushing, but not her.<p>

"Um, hello. Did you need something?" She sent him a quizzical look. Nope, his smile did not affect her.

"Yes, well I couldn't help but notice you sitting here alone, I just thought I'd give you company. I'm Tom, by the way, Tom Riddle."

There was one thing Tom was known for: his charm. Professors and students loved him, he was the perfect student; the perfect Slytherin. His charm, his intelligence, his wit could get him whatever he wanted. And he never backed down from using it.

"Yes, I know. We're in the same year." She gave him a smile.

Victoria wasn't that bad looking; beautiful, even. Brown hair, captivating green eyes, and delicate features. If she tried harder, putting more effort into her looks than she did on her studies, she could be pretty. Regardless, she would be the perfect candidate.

"Oh? I'm afraid I've never seen you before."

She glanced down at the table in front of her, "yes, well. I'm Victoria Gamp. Pleasure to meet you, but I'm afraid I must finish this book. Homework…" She trailed off, no longer looking at Tom.

"Ah, the pleasure was all mine," He took her hand in his, planted a small kiss, and straightened up, "I'll just leave you then, Miss Gamp."

Inside, Victoria was trying to squash the butterflies in her stomach. The poor girl didn't care much for useless crushes, but as with most girls, she harbored one. Tom Riddle. He was handsome, mysterious, and had this dangerous vibe to him. And what teenage girl didn't find that appealing at one point?

However, Victoria thought that since she wasn't anything special; average witch, average family, average looks, there would be no point of chasing after him. So she didn't. She decided to focus on her studies, staying in the library whenever she had the time.

But at this very moment, her heart was doing flips, she couldn't control her feelings.

So much for getting some reading done.

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><p>Tom couldn't wait to trap her. She didn't seem all that brilliant, at least not when compared to him. Once he was "dating" her, he could squash some rumors and appear to be close to another human being.<p>

The only problem? Tom wasn't all that gifted with girls. He's never had to deal with them, so he didn't have the experience of dealing with one. Using charm he could usually make them swoon, get them to do what he wanted, those kinds of things, but what about dating. Couples are a lot closer than, say, friends. A lot more intimacy would be required of him. How would he be able to pull that off?

No worries. Tom could handle this girl. He'd just have to be careful as to not get too close.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be back with more soon! Please review and tell me what you think of it.<p> 


	2. Seduction and Courting

Title: Before the Fall

Author: Le Rouge du Sang

Disclaimer: I'm just a broken hearted fan trying to add to the legacy of Harry Potter, everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: Continuing this collab with Atomic Bomb. We'll be looking for images to connect with this story, so that our characters have faces. Also, Nemesis, as with several characters in this story, is an OC.

Thanks to those who reviewed and added this story to their lists. I really appreciate it! So thank you to TheSmallerGrayWolf and Sachita for your reviews.

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><p>Hogwarts' prefects were expected to be the figure of responsibility. Tom felt he did a good job of this. Most of his house thought so, too, he believed. Of course, how much of this was just Tom's charm, only he knew. He was easily able to conceal his nature in front of the rest of the school, with the exception of a certain professor.<p>

When he started his plan, he was unsure of how to proceed with Victoria, but he soon figured that as with any relationship, they must first get to know each other. Or rather, he must learn how to control her.

But Tom wasn't the only one planning. Another prefect, specifically, the other Slytherin prefect, Nemesis McGuire, had a plan of her own.

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><p>"Hello, Tom. How are you doing today?" Nemesis McGuire, another Slytherin student.<p>

Like Victoria Nemesis was also a pureblood, but she lived up to her first name in every manner. There could never be a more hateful, foul, yet absolutely overly sweet person in existence. Or at least, she could be dangerously sweet when she wanted something.

Nemesis was a pretty girl, she could have any guy at Hogwarts. Her long, straight brown hair was tied back, letting everyone see her gorgeous face. Thin and pale, that was Nemesis. Dark eyes were the most captivating feature of her face. Once you looked into them, it would feel as though you were trapped in them.

"I'm fine, thank you. Did you have something important you needed to talk about?" Tom was slightly annoyed by her, but he would never show it. Every chance she got, she would latch herself onto him. Both of them being appointed to Prefect position only made matters worse.

"I just wanted to discuss some Prefect things."

Nemesis had decided that she would win Tom at any cost. In her entire life, she always got what she wanted, her parents made sure of that. And at this very moment, she wanted Tom and she wouldn't stop until she had him.

"Could we not do this at a later time? Perhaps the weekly meetings?"

Nemesis wouldn't have been so bad to deal with, if it wasn't for her spoiled upbringing. Her obvious acting when it came to her niceness and kindness. She was one of the people that Victoria met on a daily basis. Victoria may not have suspected much of Nemesis, but it was obvious that Nemesis only had interest in Victoria's helpful nature. In classes, Nemesis used Victoria as a partner because she would gladly do the work.

"But I feel that we should do more, so I decided that this couldn't wait."

Tom sighed and stood up; he was not in the mood for her excessive flirting. It was the same every time, she would bat her eyelashes, move closer, lean over, show off some of her...assets. And it would continue like that until Tom left or someone called them. It was almost routine.

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><p>Victoria was currently seated in the library, working on homework. No one really bothered to sit with her, not that she minded, she preferred to be alone. At least while in the library, she loved being alone.<p>

"Victoria, do you mind if I sit down?" Tom appeared in front of her.

"Huh? Yes, of course. I don't see why not."

"So Victoria, OWLs are approaching soon, aren't they? Have you started studying? I've been mighty worried since our holidays ended."

"I've started somewhat. I mean, I've started thinking about how to organize my notes, but I've gotten nowhere."

She had not looked up since Tom sat down. Tom knew she was too focused on her work to really even care about him at this particular moment, not that cared, he was here to learn more about her, not the other way around.

Victoria hadn't bothered looking at him; she was so engrossed in her work. Tom never had to try, and she did not like that about him. Tom Riddle was, quite possibly, the most intelligent student at Hogwarts. Victoria wasn't that jealous, she was a good student, but she had to spend much of her time studying in order to maintain that. And sometimes, she would get annoyed.

"Victoria, you seem a bit stressed. Are you alright? Perhaps you should take a break, let's go to the Great Hall and get something to eat."

When she looked up, she found herself staring into his eyes. No matter how hard she could have tried, she felt herself getting lost.

"Um, sure, I suppose. It wouldn't hurt."

Tom stood and offered his hand to help her. Victoria gathered her belongings at took his hand; she was experiencing a sort of euphoria. Her hand was tingling as it had done before when he planted a kiss.

Tom smirked to himself; the girl had lost herself in thoughts, not realizing the tinge of red on her cheeks and the hint of a smile on her lips.

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><p>A few weeks had passed before Tom met Victoria again. And this weekend, he intended on making sure they would meet.<p>

Today was the day students were able to go to Hogsmeade and Tom would use that to his advantage. Entering the Three Broomsticks, he began what he hoped to be a successful scheme.

"We should really stop meeting like this."

Victoria could hear the smirk in his words, looking up she grinned.

"You're the one that keeps sitting at my table."

"Details."

Victoria laughed and Tom had to admit that he did not mind the sound of her laughter. Unfortunately, that laughter stopped due to the appearance of a certain person.

"Hello you two. I see you're having a good time, Victoria." The ice was dripping from her voice, making Victoria uncomfortable. Tom, on the other hand, was cursing his luck.

"Hello Nemesis."

Victoria forced a smile; usually Nemesis was sweet and kind to her, but for some reason today she was acting strange.

Meanwhile, Nemesis had latched herself onto Tom's arm. Victoria, of course, saw this. She also saw Tom visibly try and pull away from her unrelenting grasp. Something inside Victoria just snapped. Standing up, she offered another smile.

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><p>"I'll let you two have a little alone time."<p>

And with that, Victoria turned around and left them. Tom was already annoyed with Nemesis pushing herself closer to him, and her spoiling his plan only made it worse.

Tom was never one to outwardly show his anger, and this would not be the moment he did that.

"Nemesis, I think it's time I leave. I have some unfinished business. Goodbye."

He jerked his arm away from her, stood, and followed Victoria out of the building. His plan had been delayed yet again. He was getting desperate.

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><p>And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope you guys review and tell me if I need to fix anything or something like that. I'll be putting up pictures of the characters soon, so that way you can see what Atomic Bomb and I imagine our characters to look like.<p> 


	3. Annoyances

Title: Before the Fall

Author: Le Rouge du Sang

Characters: Tom Riddle/OC

Disclaimer: I'm just a broken hearted fan trying to add to the legacy of Harry Potter, everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. Most of the delay was caused by college, it's my sophomore year, so I've been attempted to balance school and work, so unfortunately this takes the back seat to everything else.

In other news, I've started another fic. It's a human!Lion King fic. I've been trying to finish it in one go so that it can be a one-shot. If not, it's going to be only a few chapters. So yeah, that's what you get to look forward to in the future.

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><p><strong>Annoyances<strong>

Tom glanced over at Victoria, who was completely immersed in her potion. For someone who worked hard, she could not figure out how to complete the potion properly. There was something that just kept messing her up, but she didn't know what.

Tom could just walk over and tell her that she was not measuring the proper amount of belzoar root. But that would be too easy. He wanted to play with his prey.

"Victoria, are you alright? You seem a bit stressed."

"Hmm? Oh - yes, I'm alright, I just can't seem to figure out this..." she trailed off, re-reading the instructions.

"I don't know Vicki; I just don't think you're doing it right. I mean look at Tom's, his is absolutely perfect, like everything else."

"Hello, Nemesis. I didn't see you there." Tom tensed. If the past was any indication, his plan right now was about to fail miserably.

"Hi, Tom. Such a wonderful day, isn't it?" She made her move, latching onto his arm, digging her nails it. Nemesis batted her eyelashes and stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"It's raining, Nemesis. Now at least help me finish our potion." Tom mentally thanked Victoria, and he was pretty sure a visible look of relief passed over his face, if Victoria's smirk was any indication.

"But Vicki, you know I can't make potions, I'm more of a - supervisor when it comes to potions." She moved back to Victoria's side.

"Every time, Nemesis, that's your excuse in every class. You're always my partner and then you always expect me to do all the work. I've had it with you! If you think I'm just going to take it and do all your work, then you have something else coming for you!"

Victoria threw down her spoon grabbed her bags and started walking towards the door.

"Wait - Vicki!" Nemesis grabbed Victoria's arm and turn her around.

At this point Tom knew what Nemesis was doing; he had used the same tricks on the adults at the orphanage.

Nemesis looked straight into Victoria's eyes "you know I didn't mean anything by it, I'm sorry you feel that I never do any of the work. I'm sorry I've let you down," she weaved her hands through Victoria's, "you're one of my best friends, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you on purpose." She offered a sympathetic smile, feigned sadness falling over her facial features.

Victoria had calmed down, her anger and frustration that was boiling over just seconds ago, had disappeared, "I know, Nemesis, but just once and a while, please just help out." She moved in and hugged her friend.

Tom couldn't believe it. Victoria was using the same technique on Nemesis; her words had been laced with the same coldness that Nemesis used. Women were just beyond Tom's understanding.

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><p>The next morning, Tom walked into the classroom in the dungeon, only to see Victoria and Nemesis sitting together again.<p>

The professor set them on their way, to make a draught, again in partners. Tom saw this as the perfect opportunity to continue to grow closer to Victoria.

"Hello Victoria," he smiled, "I was wondering, would you be willing to be my partner. I mean, the potion is quite difficult and I thought that you'd be able to help me. I understand, though, if you refuse." As if she'd refuse. Tom knew that after what happened yesterday between the two girls, Victoria was more likely to jump at this offer.

"Um – I'm not sure, I mean Nemesis needs a partner –"

"No. It's alright. I understand completely." He turned. Smirking, he took two steps towards his seat. Any second now…

"Wait! I'm sure Nemesis wouldn't mind just this once," she turned towards the brunette to her left, "you don't mind do you? It'll only be for today." She offered her friend a small smile.

Nemesis just shook her head. Tom had been watching her face while Victoria had been talking. Her eyes grew wide, similar to a deer, and her mouth dropped slightly. If Tom lacked self-control, he would probably be chuckling at the sight of Nemesis's face right now.

"Great." With that Victoria walked over to Tom and his bench. Tom, with every ounce of control he could muster, hid his smirk.

"So Vicki…" he smiled and glanced over at her, "thank you for agreeing to help me."

"Don't call me that, I hate that name. And don't play. I know you asked me to be your partner on purpose, not because you actually need any help. Everyone knows that you're the best when it comes to potions." She looked straight at him, her green eyes sparkling and laughing.

Tom really did not understand her. Perhaps she was much smarter than he gave her credit for. He'd have to see how much intelligence she actually possessed.

"Well, I just thought you needed a break after yesterday."

"Aren't you sweet? Thank you." She smiled, and Tom couldn't help but sincerely smile back.

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><p>Two days had passed since that potions class. And Victoria now spoke to Tom more than she had done so in the past, and Tom took this as a sign that his plan was working.<p>

Tom was too busy with his own thoughts to notice where he was going, which didn't happen often. Actually, it never happened. He was always aware of his surroundings be the thought of his success had preoccupied his life for the time being.

The next thing he knew, he was on the floor. Thankfully he had landed on something soft.

"Oof. Why are you so heavy? You look like skin and bones, but you're heavy. Now get off."

He looked under him, that some object was none other than Victoria. He had run into Victoria, quite literally. Her bag now law sprawled out across the hall, with some books and papers scattered around it. His things remained in his bag at their feet.

Tom noticed how soft Victoria's hair felt. It was actually shocking. From this angle, Tom observed details that he had not seen before, like her dimples when she smiled. Her eyes danced when she spoke to him and –

"Tom?"

"Oh! Sorry!" He got back on his feet and helped her up. Grabbing his bag he went over to help her put her things back.

"No, it's my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Then we're both to blame." He chuckled and handed her bag over to her, standing up straight.

"Victoria, are you alright?" A voice came from his right. A girl, Victoria's height, was looking at her, concerned.

Theresa Wilcox, Ravenclaw. She happened to be one of Victoria's friends, along with her twin, Glenna Wilcox. Glenna happened to be in Slytherin, and one of Victoria's closest friends, arguably more than Nemesis.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bruised, I'll be alright, though." She smiled. Tom liked that she smiled often. She looked beautiful when she smiled.

"Here, I'll walk you back; I want to make sure you're alright." Tom offered her his hand, which, much to his surprise, she placed her bag on.

"Alright, but you're carrying my bag, prove to me that chivalry is not, in fact, dead." There was that smile again.

"Victoria, if you don't mind me asking, do you have any plans this weekend? I'd like to make up for the last meeting in Hogsmeade."

"Are you asking me to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Yes, I guess I am."

"Well, if you're asking, then I'd love to go."

"Then we'll meet at –"

"Hello, you two!" A grating voice came from behind them. Nemesis.

"Of course" Tom muttered under his breath.

"So how are my two favorite people?" She looked carefully at the two, scrutinizing every aspect of their faces, "not talking about me, are we?" She let out a horrifyingly high giggle.

"No, Nemesis, why would we have any reason to do so?" Tom replied, staring blankly at her, boring into her dark eyes.

"Don't be so mean, _Tom_. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend. Just the two of us? No other interruptions." With this last sentence, Nemesis's eyes flickered briefly towards Victoria.

Victoria opened her mouth to reply, but Tom cut her off, "I'm sorry Nemesis, but I've already made plans with Victoria for this weekend."

Nemesis's face darkened, her jaw-line hardened, indicating that she was not pleased. Her hand snaked its way onto his, she laced her fingers with his.

"But _Tom_, Victoria doesn't have anything to offer. Look at her. Besides, Victoria usually studies on the weekends; she's not interested in anything other than her precious books. Come o-"

Nemesis's hand had left his and was now cradling her right cheek, where the red imprint of a hand was starting to appear.

"Victoria…" Nemesis quizzically looked at her friend.

"Don't. Just don't, Nemesis." Victoria's jaw clenched, she grabbed her bag from Tom, and stormed off in the direction of the dungeons.

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><p>Well, there you have it. Thank you guys for your reviews. Please leave more so that I know what to correct and how to go on.<p>

Thanks to Sachita and KabuKun for your reviews! Hi Mel! I hope you like this chapter as well.


	4. Romance and Lost Friends

Title: Before the Fall

Author: Le Rouge du Sang

Characters: Tom Riddle/OC

A/N: I keep dragging this out, don't I? I apologize for the delay. I wasn't able to write over break, because my cousin was over and stuff. I'm so very sorry that it has taken me so long to get this chapter out. This past semester was a killer and then I had to study for the LSAT. I was also stuck as to how I wanted the scene with Tom to go.

I also meant to have this out yesterday, but my grandmother passed away. So I'm updating this and informing the two readers that read this story that I will probably be delayed in writing the next chapter.

Thank you again for sticking around.

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><p><strong>Romance and Lost Friends<strong>

_Nemesis's hand had left his and was now cradling her right cheek, where the red imprint of a hand was starting to appear. _

"_Victoria…" Nemesis quizzically looked at her friend._

"_Don't. Just don't, Nemesis." Victoria's jaw clenched, she grabbed her bag from Tom, and stormed off in the direction of the dungeons. _

Victoria was fuming. How _dare_ Nemesis say those things, what gave her the right to talk about her in such a manner. After all, Victoria was the one that helped her whenever she asked, sometimes, she didn't even ask, but Victoria was always there. She never asked for anything in return, just Nemesis's friendship, but apparently, that was not possible.

Perhaps she was behaving childishly, the both of them were.

Victoria stopped in her tracks, realizing something. Her and Nemesis were fighting over Tom Riddle.

Tom Riddle was the catalyst for their entire fight. If he hadn't taken up interest in Victoria, she would never have even acted against Nemesis. She would have gone her entire Hogwarts life as a subordinate, as a sheep, just blindly letting Nemesis control her.

Thanks to Tom, she –

"Victoria!"

Tom came running up behind her.

"Do you know how hard it is to keep up with you? You walk too fast." He was panting slightly. He bent over slightly in order to catch his breath.

Victoria just stared at him. The corners of her lips turned upwards; he had actually run out after her, something her so-called friend did not do.

A few seconds went by, Victoria stood still, staring at him. He straightened his back, towering over her.

"I believe we were talking before being interrupted, correct?" His eyes were glinting.

Victoria was still staring at his face, mesmerized by every small detail that she now noticed.

"Victoria?"

"Huh – oh, yes."

"Victoria," his voice was lowered, it was now a breathy whisper. His eyes were boring into hers, "would you, by any chance, do me the honor of going on a date with me."

She felt his hands on hers, cupping her own; she felt his breath with every word the uttered. At that moment, Victoria swore, all of time stood still for her.

Victoria was struggling to speak; all words had left her, as well as the air in her lungs.

"I – um, well – uh…"

Tom visibly drew back, "it's alright if you don't want to, I understand."

"No! Wait!" She took a step forward and pulled his hands back towards her, "What I meant was, I would love to."

His face broke out into a grin.

"Wonderful. This weekend then? I know a spot in Hogsmeade."

"Yes, that would be fantastic"

She grinned as well.

Walking back to the common room, Victoria kept running the earlier events over in her mind. Everything about that moment was surreal; she had never, not even in her wildest dreams, imagined that Tom Riddle would be interested in her. She also never would have thought that she would be the type to become all giddy over a boy.

She stepped into the Slytherin common room, and her smile dropped. Nemesis was standing in the middle, looking directly at her.

"Oh Victoria!" Nemesis ran towards her and wrapped her arms around her neck, causing Victoria to stumble backwards a few steps.

"I was so worried. I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm terribly sorry for what I said and did." She put her hands on Victoria's shoulders and wore a frown on her face as she guided Victoria towards the couch.

Victoria was dumbfounded. Did Nemesis actually believe that she was going to be forgiven that easily?

"Vicky."

Victoria cringed, her patience was being tested.

"I just want you to know that whatever I did, I did because I care for you. I consider you a _very_ close and dear friend. I just don't want that Tom fellow to harm you. I know what these boys are like. They see someone like you and they think you'll be easy. They don't see anything else. Just sex."

Victoria was resisting the urge to strangle Nemesis. How _dare_ she say something like that?

"How is this any different than when boys are interested in you, Nemesis?"

"Oh, you're getting angry. I'm just trying to help you understand. I know how to handle these situations."

"What, you have experience, is that it?"

"No, that's not what I meant, Vic, and you know that." Nemesis put a hand on Victoria's arm and looked straight into her eyes. She seemed to be sincere in her pleas.

"I'm just – I'm your friend. I've been your friend since the very beginning. We grew up together, Vicky. You know I would never, in a million years, do anything to hurt you. Please, just be careful."

Nemesis offered a small smile, "I know that you like him, but just remember what I've told you. It's better to stay away from guys like him."

Victoria returned her smile; there was no point in starting a fight with someone like Nemesis. Victoria knew the consequences very well. Truth be told, she didn't feel that she had the energy to argue with Nemesis.

"I'll be careful, I promise."

Although every fiber of her being was screaming to kill Nemesis on the spot, she kept her cool. Nemesis was her friend, even if their friendship held no value for Nemesis.


	5. The Date

A/N: ahahahaha whoops. It's been a few years, hasn't it? Well, I suppose there isn't much to say. I've graduated college, got a BS in Psychology and International Relations. Moved out to Southern Califonia. I'm currently studying law. But beyond that, I'm working so I won't promise how long this story will continue.

Colleen has also graduated and is working, but she is still back in Illinois, so that's a thing. But we recently Skyped and started working on this story again, so we'll see where we get to. If you're still reading this after the 3-4 year break I took, thank you. I don't deserve you awesome people.

So here we go.

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><p>Tom remained by Victoria's side the entire walk to Hogsmeade. He had done his research as to what a girl might enjoy in the small village.<p>

Namely, Tom had spoken with a girl named Gwendoline Verity. He knew next to nothing about her except for the fact that she was a Slytherin and he occasionally saw her with Victoria. So naturally, he had assumed that they were acquaintances.

Obviously he had to keep his distance while gathering information. He doubted Nemesis would have been as willing as the Verity girl. Nor could he have approached Glenna Wilcox, the other Slytherin friend as her and her sister weren't exactly the type to keep their mouths shut.

The blonde seemed excited to be sharing what she thought were wonderful tips regarding a fist date.

"I know the perfect place for you two!" She was practically jumping out of her seat with glee.

"There's a little tea shop in Hogsmeade, Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. It's a really nice place. I'm sure she'll love it!"

Standing outside the tea shop, though, he found himself applauding his choice of victim. If Victoria enjoyed this, then she was more of an idiot than he thought, making his whole plan much easier.

Everything about the shop was tacky and frilly. The public displays of affection were absolutely nauseating. However, if it meant Victoria would agree to date him, he would be willing to stay for a few minutes.

He opened the door to the tea shop to let Victoria enter. He smiled, feeling like a predator stalking his prey. He could get used to this particular emotion.

Victoria entered the tea shop. There was something unnerving about this place, perhaps it was the overly cute setting or perhaps it was just the sheer amount of couples in such a small amount of space.

She wondered why Tom would bring here to this particular shop. It didn't seem like the sort of place he would enjoy. She certainly didn't.

The entire time they sat there, something was bothering her. Perhaps Tom had been here before on another date, after all he had said that he knew this spot. Thinking back, though, Victoria was sure she had never seen him with another girl. But then again, she wasn't one to snoop.

"Is there something wrong, Victoria?" Tom was leaning forward slightly, his eyebrow raised. He put a hand upon hers, "You seem preoccupied."

Victoria found herself leaning backwards to create some space between their faces. His eyes followed her every move.

"No, I was just thinking. This doesn't seem like the place you enjoy – I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but –"

Tom cut her off, " I apologize, I just thought you might enjoy this sort of setting. I've always seen couples come and go, so I assumed that you might take pleasure in this particular spot. I am sincerely sorry if this date was not enjoyable for you." He was rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, his eyes were focused on her face.

She found a warm feeling spreading through her cheeks and ears. She was pretty sure she was blushing, no matter how hard she was trying to calm down.

"Tom," She stared back, "its okay, but you should have just done something you enjoy."

Tom smiled, "I'll keep that in mind for our next date."

They left the shop, both equally glad to be outside once again.

"Victoria?" She turned towards the voice.

"Hector. Hello." Her mouth formed a tight-lipped smile. "How are you?"

"I-I'm fine. A-are you on a date? I'm sorry if I'm i-interrupting."

Tom recognized the shy, blonde boy as the Hufflepuff Hector Mulloy. The poor kid was madly in love with Victoria, but as far as her behavior indicated, she was having nothing to do with him. Hilarious.

"It's alright, Hector. I'll see you later." She dismissed him without another thought.

Turning back, they continued on their way back to Hogwarts.

He stopped her outside of the entrance. Holding her hands carefully, Tom gazed at her, his brown eyes meeting hers.

"I truly am sorry, Victoria," He paused, "I didn't mean for our first date to be unpleasant for you."

"It wasn't a complete disaster." Victoria replied. "I enjoyed spending time with you, but perhaps next time we should just avoid the tea shop."

Tom chuckled, "Perhaps, you're right. Next time, I promise, it will be enjoyable for both of us."

It was evening now and Tom sat in the Common Room. His little corner was shared by his "friends."

Friends was too loose a term, perhaps. He had no attachment to them. They were nothing more than people he could toy with. His pawns, in an elaborate game of chess.

The boys were sharing some ridiculous stories. Tom had no interest in silly tales when he was working on something much more important.

Gwendoline had given him incorrect information and he was not pleased. He had hoped that this whole game with Victoria would be expedited with their trip to Madam Puddifoot's. Unfortunately, that was not so. He had run the risk of ruining whatever progress he had made in the past few days, all due to Verity.

The boys were laughing now so he smiled.

He was not happy.

Across the Common Room, Victoria sat with her friends Glenna and Gwendoline. Nemesis was no where to be seen.

"So, how was your first date?" Gwendoline was giggling.

"Not great," Victoria hugged a pillow, "he took me to Madam Puddifoot's. It was _so_ gaudy."

Gwendoline laughed. "Of course, you would be the only girl to not enjoy Madam Puddifoot's! I told him that you would love it. I was wrong!"

"What!" Glenna spoke up. "_You_ told him to take her to the tea shop? So you're the reason she didn't enjoy the date!" The black-haired girl laughed.

"I did not! It's the perfect place to go on a date! You can kiss the guy over sweets and tea. What do you need to start a relationship? It isn't my fault our little Victoria didn't like it!"

"Oh now you've made her blush!"

Victoria covered her face with the pillow. "You two are so embarrassing! Stop saying things like that!"

The two girls snickered at their friend's obvious lack of comfort.

_Too easy_. Trapping her would be too easy. So why not play with her a bit. He smirked.

* * *

><p>AN: Welp. There it is. It's been so long since I've written anything but scientific reports and legal papers. It was super difficult getting the dialogue to not sound mechanical. Although, I think in the end it works out since it is Tom Riddle. Sorry if it's a bit short, though. Unfortunately, since it's the first chapter after the hiatus, there wasn't much we could fill it with.

Colleen and I spent a considerable amount of time researching for this fic and I hope in the end, it shows.

Thank you all again for reading and, as usual, leave tips in the reviews.


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